Goldberg’s Famous Bagels Expands Its Empire

Today Napeague, tomorrow the world, or at least the East End. That is apparently the mantra of the cousins and entrepreneurs Mark Goldberg and Paul Wayne. The team behind Goldberg’s Famous Bagels, Flagels, and Deli has signed a 10-year lease to open another store, this one on the Napeague stretch in Amagansett, at what is now Espo’s Surf Shop. The new tenants will take occupancy on Feb. 1.

In addition, Mr. Goldberg, independently of Mr. Wayne, is opening a Goldberg’s in Bridgehampton, with stores also slated to open in Mattituck and Riverhead. The store in Bridgehampton will on Montauk Highway across the street from the K-Mart shopping center, in a building that had been the Pizza Place.

“Napeague could be our busiest location, with that summertime population density,” Mr. Wayne said Sunday. He and Mr. Goldberg own shops together in Southampton, East Hampton, and Montauk.

“On the stretch, there is no place for coffee, no place for sandwiches. There are all those hotels and condos, and Hither Hills,” Mr. Goldberg said on Sunday.

According to Mr. Wayne, local motel and resort owners have already been in contact with the duo. Breakfast deliveries to hotels are a definite possibility.

The fare will include the standard bagels and flagels with paper-thin slices of lox, along with wraps like the Power House (egg whites with turkey and cheese) and sandwiches like the Hobo (two eggs, bacon, and cheese on a roll), but will also be more beach-oriented, with cold salads ready to go, Mr. Wayne said.

According to Mr. Goldberg, the pair plans to add hot dogs to the menu, and a beach bagel burger may be on the horizon, as well.

On Napeague, there is no external construction needed, but the interior will get a makeover. The partners do not feel that the new store will be strictly seasonal, either. “I don’t know about year round, but we will push it as far as we can,” Mr. Wayne said.

“When we opened in Montauk,” he said, “we didn’t know for sure, but we definitely wanted to give it a full go. The support of the Montauk locals made it a pleasure to be open seven days a week, year round.” The Montauk store will celebrate its two-year anniversary on July 3.

Parking will be available in front of the new store, as well as in front of the residence to the east, which the two are also renting. Staffing is always an issue on the East End, but in the Goldberg empire, promotions come from within.

One of the key posts is that of counter-manager, or, perhaps better put, head schmoozer. That is the role that Mr. Wayne currently fills in the East Hampton store on Pantigo Road. He calls out the names of customers as they enter the store, and has an encyclopedic memory of what their “usuals” are. That role, in the new Napeague store, will be filled by Doug Ryan, now the East Hampton counterman, who has worked at that store for two years.

The hours at the new store have yet to be determined. Business gets rolling before 6 a.m. at the East Hampton store. “I tell customers, ‘if you get here before six, you get free coffee, and you get to complain all you want. After six, you’ve got to smile,’ ” Mr. Wayne said.

The Napeague store should be ready for business by late April, Mr. Goldberg said.

About the Author

T.E. McMorrow began freelancing for The Star in 2009, before coming on staff, full time, at the end of 2011. He is a member of the Drama Desk in New York. His book, “Nutcracker in Harlem,” illustrated by James Ransome, is scheduled for publication in the fall of 2016 by HarperCollins children’s division.